Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-04-22
LIFEBOATS DRIVEN BY STEAM.
why Should Oars Always Be Relied
Upon In the Surf?


One of the subjects now occupying the
attention of the officers in charge of the
life saving stations of the United States is
the substitution of some other power for
propelling lifeboats through the surf than
the muscles of the crews, eXerted through
long heavy oars. The proposition to sub
stitute steam launches for rowboats is not
a new one, but no practical attempt to
make the change has ever been made.
The proposition has simply been dis
cussed. The need of something more
trustworthy than oars in the hands of
men who are drenched to the skin with
freezing salt spray, and exhausted, per-
haps, with a long pull from the beach to
the wreck, and the exertions of getting
the sailors from the wreck into the boat.
is apparent to any one who considers the
subject. Even in a smooth sea it is no
small task for crew to force the big two
ton boat through the water 1t is likely
that for sweepstakes of 800 on pleas
ant day they might row over three mile
straightaway course in an hour. But in
the face of a winter gale, when men are
dropping from the rigging of a stranded
vessel into the surf, and minute delay
may mean the loss of human life, then
it is all that the crews can do to make
any Roadway.
To the ordinary observer the construc-
ton of a steam engine, boiler, shaft and
wheel fit to drive twenty-five foot boat
seems simple matter. 1t is, in fact,
easy to build stanch steam launch of
that size. But steam launches are sup
| 1 / a. ~l.,1.
lifeboat must frequently go through
them. Any ordinary sort of steam
boiler fired by coal would he drowned out
by the first curler that dropped into the
boat. But that need not discourage in
ventors who want to use steam to drive
a lifeboat Steam boilers can be heated
by petroleum or by compressed gas, and
these fuels. with the necessary air to
produce combustion, might be pumped
into a water tight fireboX. Nor need the
inventors cOnfine themselves to steam en-
gines. Within year or SO exceedingly
compact and powerful engines, operated
by the explosion of crude petroleum and
air in the cylinder of the engine have
come into use and are highly recon-
mended by those VINO have used them.
III Is apparent tllat one OF THESE machines
could be adapted to lifeboat, for Lieut..
Zalinski at Fort Hamilton proposed to use
one in the submarine torpedo boat with
which he is experimenting. Equally easy
to adapt to the purpose would be some Of
the modern gas engines, in which the
power comes from ignting "A quantity of
Illuminating gas mixed with air
A regular lifeboat. dccked over at the
water line, built with compartments,
supplied with an iron keel for ballast,
might be fitted with a steam engine. The
increase of weight would be an objec-
ton but the increase of speed when
once she was atloat, and the comfort of
her crew. who would not be required to
wear themselves out at the oars. and the
certainty that the boat could meet even
the largest breakers when backing toward
the beach, and the fact that the compare
lively fresh crew could, if necessary. in
this the most critical point of the trip,
get out a couple of oars to help keep the
boat bows on. are considerations that
would probably outweigh all objections.
New York Sun.